Machine for curling and/or decurling yarns



Oct. 13, 1925. 1,557,182

B. D. MICKLETHWAITE MACHINE FOR CURLING AND /OR DECURLING YARNS Filed June 27, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 13, 1925. 1,557,182

B. D MICKLETHWAITE MACHINE FOR CURLING AND /OR DECURLING YARNS Filed June 27, 1925 5 h e 2 Oct. 13.192&' 1,557,182

B. D. MICKLETHWAITE MACHINE FOR CURLING AND /OR DECURLING YARNS Filed June 27. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fi n5.

Patented l3, Marti.

warren ti'llA'lES BENJAMIN CDI'SRAELI MICKLE'I'HWAI'I'E, OF i-IUDDEBSFI'ELD, ENGLAND.

MAGHINE FOB- CUfiLING AND/OB DECUBLING YARNS.

Application filed. June 27, 1.9%. fieriaLNjo. 548,005.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, BENJAMIN DISRAELI lii'iUKLETHB/AITE, a subject of King George Vof Great Britain, residing at Huddersfield, in the county of York, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Curling and/or Decurling Yarns, of which the following isa specification.

My invention in machines for curling and/or decurling yarns has particular reference to that type of machine in which the yarns to be curled are carried by a carriage which is caused to travel away from a curling member during the curling operationfor the purpose of delivering the yarns to be curled, and to be traversed back towardsthe curling member to enable the curled portion of yarn to be wound up.

Hitherto the sanding member in such a machine has comprised a rotating spindle provided at its front end with a hook about whichthe yarns were passed, to enable the curl tobe put in. After a portion or stretch of yarns has been curled the yarns are removed from the hook andthe curled portion then coiled about the spindle, the yarns being then replaced into the hook ready for the next curling operation. As the spindle becomes full, the yarnoften jumps the hook or becomes detached therefrom, or slips off the end of the spindle, with the result that a portion of the curl is-lost on that particular stretch and uneven work is provided.

if therefore propose to mount on the rotating spindle a flanged bobbin to receive the curled yarn, the flanges or one of them having suitable open ended slots therein into which the curled yarns are introduced and through which they pass from the curling hook on the end of the spindle to the yarn mass on the bobbin.

1 further propose to so construct the machine that an improved curl which is technically known as diamond form is imparted to the yarns. To this end the yarns are passed, from a suitable creel or from a crum mounted on the carriage to 1'0- tate freely on its axis, about or around two pulleys or discs or rollers or pegs rotatable about vertical axes and placed a suitable distance apart one on each side of the centre line of the front part of the carriage. The ends of yarn to be curled, as they leave the creel or drum, are passed under and over suitable tension rods, and after leaving the last tension rod they are .divided into two equalparts onehalf being led around each of the pulleys name d. flentrally of the front of the carriage and supported to. be theidesired distance in front of .theitwo pillleys named is a third pulley or roller, also rotatableabout a vertical axis, anddisposed in the same. horizontal planeas the two first named. pulleys. The ends of yarn ,afterpass ing around the ,two first pulleys are led around. the central pulley and are there united, the twister nirl being putin between this central pulley and the, hook on the endnfthe curling spindle. Alternatively the .diamond effect i nay be, obtainedby substituting, for the vertical members referred to, a longitudinal rod or bar of ,angular form as hereinafter described.

I further make provision forwinding .the yarn, when curled, on to the bobbins, and also for enabling the machine to boomployed for decurling or separating the curled yarns, as will be afterwards de scribed. V v

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference will now be made Figs. 1 vand 2 are. respectively, plan views of the left and right hand ends of a machine constructed according. to the invention;

Figs. 3 and 4% are, respectively, sideviews of. theleft'and right hand ends ofthe machine; i

Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation on the line 575 Fig. 1;

shows an end View of onepf the bobbins I employ to receive the curled yarns;

Fig. 7 is a detail referred to later;

8Sl10fWS in side elevation the arrangement I employ when utilizing the ma- QlliIlQq'fOl rdecurling .or. separating curled yarns; and

9 is another detail referred to later.

Referring to the drawing, in my improved machine I employ anumber of curling spindles l rotatably mounted in a suitable headstock 2. In the instance shown six spindles ,ereshown, but thisnurnber may be greater or smaller according to the output desired. Extending forwardly from ,the. headstock 2 is a framework 3 constituting a guideway and support for a carriage 4. This carriage is shewn as having pulleys 5 to run on the frame bars 3.

'Each curling spindle has a flangedboo bin 6 having in one of its flanges an openended slot 6, see Fig. 6, and in its other flange a key-hole slot 6 to enable the bobbin to be rotatably secured to its spindle by means of a button 1 on a flange 1 of the spindle,

Each curling spindle has a spiral pinion T meshing with a spiral wheel 8 on a shaft 9 extending across the headstock. Motion is conveyed to this shaft by belts 10 or 11 from respective sets of fast and loose pulleys 12, 12, and 13, 13.

A shaft 141 suitably carried from a cross rail 15, has two rope drums or pulleys 1.6, 16 and at the outer end of the frame 3 there are mounted two carrier pulleys 17, 17. Cords 18, 18 secured at one end to the carriage 4 at 18, 18, are wrapped about the drums 16,- 16, and then led around the can rier pulleys 17, 17, back to the carriage 41, and secured to the carriage at 18 18 The cords are thus made endless in effect. if preferred endless cords may be employed and secured to the carriage by suitable means.

Each end of the sl; carries a gear wheel 19 or 20 and through change gearing 19 or 20 the wheels 19 or 20 are connected to respective shafts 21 or 21 'lhese shafts by means of pulleys 22 or 22 and belts 23 or 23 receive motion from pulleys 2 1 or 21 on the shafts of the driving pulleys 12 and 13. One of the belts 28 or 23 is open and the other crossed,'so that with a constant direction of drive of the pulleys; 12, and 13, the carriage can be traversed either towards or away from the spindles, and the direction of rotation of the latter be kept constant.

The gear wheels 19 and 20 are mounted on ratchet bosses on the shaft 14 so that they are only rotatively connected to the shaft in one driving direction. It thus follows that that gear which for the time be ing is not being driven to transmit motion to the shaft 14-, remains idle, and the useless reverse driving of the train of change gearing concerned, and of its shaft 21 or 21 is avoided.

The yarns to be curled are led from acreel 2 1, through suitable guides 25, and tension devices 26, 27, and 28. Each series of yarns is divided into two parts, as indicated in F 2, and these parts are led outside of two vertical rollers, or guide pins 29, 29 on the carriage 4 and located at a suitable distance apart. Ata suitable distance in front of these guides 29 another guide 30 provided located midway between the said guides 29, 29 and the two parts of the yarn are brought together across this central ide 30. The parts 29 and 30 constitute separating devices for the yarns. They operate divide the yarns into two parts, and the part 30 provides an abutment to hold the twist after the yarns have been brought together again.

From the guide 30 the yarns are led to the usual curling hook 1 on the end of the curling spindle, through slot 6 of the bobbin thereon, and are secured to the bobbin.

The effect of the members 29 and 30 is to produce on the curled yarns what is known as a diamond effect. in equivalent effect can be obtained by the employment of an angular bar as shewn in Fig. 7 such bar eing supported transversely of the carriage at and having the ends of yarn to be curled passed about it in the manner shewn. By employing bars of varying degrees of angularity, different effects can be obtained. For certain effects there may be provided on the carriage l a series of devices 30 comprising as shown in Fig. 9 a spider, mounted to rotate freely about a suitable support and about the arms of which the ends are passed before being led to the spindles.

.Vhen commencing to curl a stretch of yarns the carriage 1 occupies a position close up to the headstock. The driving belt for say the pulleys 12, is transferred from the loose to the fast pulley by suitable shifting mechanism 31. This causes the spindles 1 to be driven and, through belt 23, the shaft 21 to be also driven. By the change gearing l9 motion is transmitted to the gear 19 on shaft- 141 and through the cords or hands 18 the carriage is traversed outwardly away from the spindles at a rate, relatively to the speed of rotation of the spindles, determined by the ratio of the change gearing 19 The ends of yarn are twisted be tween the curling hook on the end of the spindle and the guide 30, or if devices such as 30 are employed, between the curling hooks and said devices.

The carriage 4 having reached the outward limit of its traverse, the belt shifting mechanism is operated to stop the machine, and it is now necessary to wind on to the bobbins 6 the curled stretches of yarn. I will describe the means I provide for this purpose.

I have previously mentioned that of the bolts 2 and 23" one is open and the other crossed. If, with the carriage in its outward position, as we have just left it, the driving belt of pulleys 13, is shifted to the fast pulley the consequent driving of the shaft 21" will through the change gearing 20 cause the U unis to commence to pull the carriage inwardly at a speed determined by the change gearing 20.

'l he spindles 1 are, coincident with the inward movement of the carriage, rotated in the same direction before since the belt 11 corresponds to the belt 10.

From the boss of the fast pulley 13 motion is conveyed by belt 32 to a pulley 33 having fast on its shaft a gear 34..

This gear 34 meshes with a gear 35 fast on a transverse shaft 36 carrying at its opposite end a pinion 37 adapted to mesh with mutilated pin wheel 38 fast on a shaft 39. This shaft 39 has fast upon it pulleys a0, a0 which are connected by chains ll, d1, with pulleys l2, 4-2, fast on a shaft 43. Also fast on shaft l3 are gear wheels a l, l l: which mesh with racks cut on rods or bars l5, 4-75 slidably mounted in the headstock The front ends of these rods l5, 4-"? carry a transverse bar provided with a number of guide pulleys l? Prior to the carriage commencing its inward traverse, the yarns are removed from the curlin hooks and from the slots of their respective bobbin flanges, and are passed over the respective guides &7.

The act of transferring the driving belt to the st pulley 13 to traverse the carriage inwardly causes the shaft 39 to be rotated lirst in one direction and then in the other thron i. the action of the pinion 37 and pin wheel The necessary lateral movement of the pinion 37 to enable it to travel from one side to the other of the pins of wheels 38 is provided for by mounting the adjacent end of shaft in a'slotted bearing 36, see Fig; 3.

The driving of shaft 39in alternating directions causes the rack bars do to he slid outwardly by the gear wheels ie, as the shaft 39 revolves in one direction and said bars are pulled inwardly during the opposite rotation of shaft 39, by means of a weight acting by means of chains 49, e9 on the peripheries of pulleys 50, secured to said shaft.

The guides 4:7 are thus traversed to and fro over the bobbins 6 and guide the yarn on to same as it is delivered by the inward movement of the carriage.

In place of the power-operated yarn traversing}; bar 46 a hand operated traversing bar may be employed.

lvleans may be provided to effect shifting of the driving belt automatically at the completion of the outward and inward traverse of the carriage 4.

if the curled and set yarns are wound on 0 me bobbins 6 as used in the curloperation, the ends led out through the sl (3 in the bobbin flanges and wrapped about the hooks l on the ends of the curling spindles, and the carriage at run out to the outward limit of its traverse, then by rotat in the spindles in the reverse direction to that employed for curling, say by crossing toe belt 11, the curl is taken out of the yarns l they will separate about the pegs or des 30 or about the equivalent angular Silfifz'll in 7. If a series of swifts anted on or associated with the car- .we therewith and provided with means to rotate them by hand, and the carriage be travt see inwardly by the mechanism previously described simultaneously with the reverse rotation of the curling spii'idles, the stretch of yarns will become decurled and the separated ends can be wound upon the swifts by the attendant he sees that the ends have reached the condition of separation. Preferably, the swifts are mounted upon separate ratchet bosses or the like and driven by means of spring plungers or pawls, so if the atten ant sees that any one series of ends is untwisting or eeparatin quiche" than the others, the particular sw t co rned can be separately rotated in advance the other swifts to take up the slaclr.

When the carriage reaches the inward limit of its traverse, the ends are ren'ioved from the hooks I and from the slots and placed over the guides The carriage is then run out again and a fresh length of curled yarns drawn oil from the bobbins to be decurled and separated. 'lo permit of the drawing off of the new stretch of yarns the spindles 1 are provided with means to temporarily disassociate them from the driving means, or means are provided to enable the bobbins to run loosely on the spin dles.

iFhe arrangement for decurling and separating is shown at l ig. 8 A shaft 52 carrying a series of swifts 53, one for each set or curled end of yarns, is supported in bear ings in an extension i of the carriage or in a separate support connected to the carriage and guided by the side frames 3. The shaft 52 carries a series of ratchet wheels 54 and the boss of each swift carries a spring plunger or pawl 55 adapted to co-operate with its respective ratchet wheel, the arrangement being such that rotation of the shaft 52 by hand in the direction of the arrow will cause the swifts to be all revolved in the same direction. Any individual swift can, however, be separately rotated by hand in the same direction ahead of the others. The curled and set yarns are led as shewn from the bobbins 6 about the member 30 or its equivalent rod or bar and on to the swifts, which are rotated to wind up the decurled and separated yarns as the carriage is traversed inwardly, as above described.

A convenient method of disassociating the bobbins from the spindles to permit of the drawing off of new stretches of yarns for decurling is to screw the outer ends of the spindles for a short distance to receive internally screwed rings or collars such as 56 which will permit the outer flange of a bobbin to be disengaged from the button 1 of its spindle flange but will prevent the bobbin from slipping off the end of the spindles as it is rotated by the drawing off of the till yarns. Any other suitable and convenient means may be provided to free the bobbins for the drawing off of the yarns.

The yarns to be curled in entering the machine from a creel 2a may be passed over a freely supportedreller 5:, the shaft of which is connected to a suitable known form of measuring device.

The tensioning means 27 and 28 on the carriage at play no part in obtaining or putting in the curl when the machine is being used for curling. This is done entirely by the rotation of the spindles combined with the regulated traverse of the carriage away from the spindles as they are rotating. For some yarns, the tensioning means 27 and may be dispensed with and the yarns be led straight from the tension device 26 to the devices 29 and 30 or their equivalent angular rod or bar.

The details of construction and arrange ment of the improved machine may be otherwise varied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a machine of the class described, a revoluble curling spindle for engaging with the two parts of the yarn, a carriage slidable longitudinally of the spindle, separating devices mounted on the carriage and operating to divide a series of previously spun yarns into two parts, and driving devices operating to revolve the curling spindle and to slide the carriage back and forth at a predetermined speed proportioned to the speed of the spindle.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1, the driving devices for sliding the carriage being provided with reversing mechanism so that the carriage can be slid back and forth without changing the direction of the revolution of the spindle.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1, the said separating devices comprising a vertical guide arranged on the axis of the spindle and projecting crosswise of it, and two vertical guides spaced apart and arranged one on each side of the axis of the spindle and at a greater distance from the spindle than the said guide.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 1, the said spindle having a bobbin secured on it and provided with a flange having a radial slot for the passage of the curled yarn, said operating to prevent the yard from s nig off the bobbin at the free end of th spindle.

o. In a machine of the class described, means for winding the curled parts of the yarn after said parts have been separated from each other, comprising a revoluble winding shaft, swifts mounted loosely on the said shaft, one for each curled part, ratchet toothed wheels secured on the said shaft, and pawls carried by the Swifts and engaging with the said wheels and permit ting each swift to be revolved separately by hand in advance of those revolved by the said shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

BENJAIL HN DlSRAELI MICKLETHWAITE. 

